Assuming the Definitive Edition is real, it's likely a new-gen port of the first-person stealth action title, as a Game of the Year edition that includes all released DLC already exists. We're sure to find out either way at E3 next month.

]]>Mon, 11 May 2015 10:35:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/news/g554fdd144a32a/A-new-gen-port-of-Dishonored-could-be-in-development/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g554fdd144a32ahttps://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/499508/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf143Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition trailer

Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition includes the full game as well as all of the game’s official add-on content: Dunwall City Trials, The Knife of Dunwall, The Brigmore Witches andVoid Walker’s Arsenal.

[i]The Brigmore Witches[/i] shares its predecessor's lack of narrative propulsion, but is nonetheless a compelling package that all who own [i]Dishonored[/i] should locate and devour. Several new elements expand the core title's already generous gameplay options, and the two conclusions to Daud's bloody saga are both satisfying.

Killer-for-hire Daud is at a crossroads once haunted by Shakespeare's Macbeth. The Empress's death at his hand has scarred his soul and activated a relentless machine of revenge whose footfalls echo throughout Dunwall. Daud can follow Macbeth and wade even further into a raging torrent of blood, or instead seek redemption and risk a swift execution for the regicide he committed. This existential crisis gnaws at the Michael Madsen-voiced antagonist, but it is the player who will ultimately decide his fate.

Before that fate is discovered, there are other matters to attend to. Having uncovered the true nature of Delilah at the conclusion of Dishonored's first downloadable content pack, The Knife of Dunwall, Daud is spurred by supernatural deity The Outsider to put a stop to her nefarious yet somewhat nebulous plans. Over the course of The Brigmore Witches' three missions, this involves breaking a gang leader out of Coldridge Prison, commandeering a ship, and plenty of sneaking about the game's evocative environs.

It’s likely that stealth action title Dishonored will get a sequel, says publisher Bethesda.

Speaking with IGN, Bethesda VP of PR and marketing Pete Hines said that the company tried not to wade into anything as a one-off.

“The success of that game and how proud Arkane is of it and what goes on at any studio when they put out something like that and all the ideas that are coming out, certainly it’s something that we feel is a franchise,” said Hines.

In The Knife of Dunwall you take on the role of Daud, the legendary assassin, and access his weapons, gadgets, allies and supernatural abilities. After forever changing the fate of Dunwall, you embark on a search for redemption. The Outsider reveals the key to your atonement, but who - or what - is Delilah?

Dishonored’s two story-expanding pieces of DLC will focus on antagonist Daud, Bethesda has announced.

The Knife of Dunwall will fill in Daud's back-story as he seeks redemption in new areas of the city including a whaling slaughterhouse, as well as familiar territory like the Flooded District.

Daud’s powers include the ability to summon supernatural assassins The Whalers, a power called Void Gaze that allows him to track hidden objects, and he also gains variations on Dishonored protagonist Corvo’s powers.

A developer responsible for some of the most violent parts of stealth FPS Dishonored has urged those involved in gaming to not shy away from conversations about violence in gaming.

In an editorial for Rock Paper Shotgun, former Arkane Studios developer Joe Houston, who coded Dishonored’s infamous neck stab, said that the easiest reaction was counter-productive for several reasons.

“In light of the recent gun violence in the U.S. and the resultant anti-game talk that has stemmed from it, it’s important as gamers not to simply retreat to the easy reaction, that games aren’t a part of the problem,” Houston wrote.

Bethesda has released new artwork with developer commentary for Dishonored. Sebastien Mitton, art director at Arkane Studios, has selected ten of his favourite artworks and provided commentary on each of them. Read his comments at the bottom of each enlarged image.

Featuring a rich, carefully-realised setting, and with design dedicated to player freedom, Arkane's Dishonored is comfortably one of the year's very best games.

Dunwall is a city on the brink of collapse. A plague has decimated its lower classes and rendered entire neighbourhoods derelict, a blockade has killed its once-thriving whaling industry, and its beloved Empress has been murdered. Worse, men of cruelty and ambition – those responsible for her death – are vying for the role of ruler even as civilisation crumbles around them. Those who can afford what they are told is plague immunisation are fortifying their homes, and the army has been ordered in, dividing the fractured city further with large electrical fields and enforcing a curfew with shoot-first fervour. Many freedoms have been sacrificed in the name of security, but even that appears an illusion as entire districts crumble under the weight of their dead. Dunwall itself teeters atop a knife edge, poised to become another lesson of history, to go unheeded and repeated throughout the ages.

Corvo Attano is Dunwall’s unlikely potential saviour. Once-bodyguard of the Empress, he was framed for her murder but sprung from prison by a small group opposing the city’s de facto rulers. With revenge on the mind, he possesses the gifts both human and supernatural to slow the rot.

Dishonored’s sense of place is its greatest asset. The city is a varied but unified vision, squalor and opulence overrun by a totalitarian regime, fear permeating every alleyway. Propaganda crackles from speakers above tiled streets, and the grind of heavy industry cuts through the gloom. Indeed, Dishonored’s art, direction, and score come together in a rare way reminiscent of Half-Life or BioShock – an assured and mature distortion of something wholly familiar.

One seemingly-forgotten joy of videogaming stems from experimentation and discovery. Too many titles these days drag players from setpiece to setpiece by the wrist, forcefully directing their gaze while issuing commands and dispensing advice like an obsessively over-attendant parent.

The belief that players could work things out for themselves was focus-grouped out of mainstream existence years ago; replaced by onscreen prompts, repeating audio hints, and depressingly linear design. The trust most game-makers once had in their audience is gone, and now a player’s role is too often reduced that of unthinking servant, doomed to progress from A to B to C on a game’s pedantic terms.

So ingrained is the fussy micromanagement of modern gaming that once the leash is taken off, it’s not only refreshingly liberating but also somewhat overwhelming. Arkane Studios discovered as much when trialling its latest game, first-person adventure Dishonored. The paradox of choice initially proved paralysing for many, but liberation and freedom trailed in its wake.

Dishonored casts you as a supernatural assassin driven by revenge in a dystopian steampunk world. In this trailer the team at Arkane Studios discuss the creative process that went into building the world and characters of Dunwall - from the city setting and it's strange technologies to the cast voicing its citizens.

]]>Sat, 04 Aug 2012 07:50:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/news/g501c054b68f0c/Bethesda-announces-Dishonored-voice-cast/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g501c054b68f0chttps://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/452415/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1Dishonored: Daring Escapes trailerIn this video, Corvo is detected by the guards at the Boyle Mansion and must find a way to escape.

]]>Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:47:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/xbox-360/videos/g5011de9fe2c0e/Dishonored-Daring-Escapes-trailer/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g5011de9fe2c0ehttps://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/451948/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1"It's been a poor, poor five years for fiction" - Dishonored developerGame fiction has a lot to answer for according to Arkane Studios’ visual design director Viktor Antonov.

Best known for creating Half Life 2’s City 17, the Dishonored developer lamented the homogeny of recent videogame narratives, and pointed out several likely culprits.

"It's been a poor, poor five years for fiction in the video game industry," said Antonov.

]]>Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/xbox-360/videos/g4fecb4340d8c2/Dishonored-E3-2012-Golden-Cat-Gameplay-Walkthrough-trailers/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g4fecb4340d8c2https://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/450218/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf15Dishonored designer describes Dunwall, possession and "poetic justice"Gameplanet speaks to Arkane Studios lead designer Ricardo Bare at E3 2012 about the steampunk world of Dunwall, possessing vermin, how to dispose of targets without killing them, and what it's like designing a new IP from scratch.

]]>Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:52:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/videos/g4fda56c154465/Dishonored-designer-describes-Dunwall-possession-and-poetic-justice/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g4fda56c154465https://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/449378/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1DishonoredThere are moments in any game where it's clear that the approach about to be employed is likely to fail miserably.

The frequency of these moments can be increased dramatically by employing a captive audience, offering up a controller and handing out some good, old-fashioned peer pressure.

"You know how to play this game, don't you?", states Bethesda's immaculately presented PR representative.

]]>Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:49:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/xbox-360/previews/g4fd8c196c34ac/Dishonored/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g4fd8c196c34achttps://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/449377/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1Dishonored E3 2012 trailerBethesda and Arkane Studios have released a new trailer for Dishonored. The game will be available in Australia and New Zealand on October 11, 2012, and is slated for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

]]>Sat, 02 Jun 2012 02:07:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/playstation-3/videos/g4fc8c28ea9f16/Dishonored-E3-2012-trailer/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g4fc8c28ea9f16https://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/448558/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf12Dishonored gets release dateSupernatural assassin action game Dishonored will be available in New Zealand on October 11, Bethesda has announced.

Developed by Bethesda Softworks’ Arkane Studios by co-creative directors Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith, Dishonored will be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC.

“We are pleased that Dishonored has captured people’s attention,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks, adding that a hands-on build would be present at E3 next month.

]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 15:53:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/xbox-360/news/g4fac8c4d16afa/Dishonored-gets-release-date/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g4fac8c4d16afahttps://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/447144/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1Dishonored: the art of stealthBethesda hosted a media event in a suitably Victorian-themed house near London's Marylebone Station recently. The Kings Speech was filmed here, but on this occasion we're gathered to hear Harvey Smith and Raf Colantonio discuss their latest stealth assassin title: Dishonored.

Such esteemed company – the legacy of Deus Ex and System Shock...

Harvey Smith: It's worth nothing that I was only a tester on System Shock, that was the very beginning of my career. Raf and I both tested the game when we were with Electronic Arts. But to be fair, the team is fantastic, those guys at Looking Glass – we learned so much from them. We both got into the industry because of Ultima Underworld, their previous game. We're big fans of those games.

]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 13:59:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/xbox-360/features/g4faadba74e94e/Dishonored-the-art-of-stealth/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
g4faadba74e94ehttps://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/447136/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf11Dishonored: designing a steampunk dystopiaIn a given year, there's rarely any title that can claim to feature completely new intellectual property.

This is largely because most games are engineered to reuse the most successful and beneficial attributes of previous games, and likewise, many developers have their own styles that are inevitably embedded into their works.

Such is the case with Dishonored. Despite being set in the newly-minted city of Dunwall, and despite featuring an entirely fresh cast of characters, environments and – in particular – a vibrant art style, there's something ever so familiar about the game. Comparisons to Deus Ex are inevitable, given that designer Harvey Smith has secured a leading development role. Raphael Colantonio, head cheese at Arkane Studios is also on board, having previously had experience with Dark Messiah of Might and Magic and BioShock 2, the DNA of which is clearly apparent.

]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 14:01:00 +1200https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/xbox-360/previews/i138846/Dishonored-designing-a-steampunk-dystopia/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf1
i138846https://www.gpforums.co.nz/thread/446443/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_game&utm_content=g511b306cbcdf12Dishonored debut trailerBethesda has released the debut trailer for Dishonored. "You are the once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress. Framed for her murder, you become an infamous assassin, known only by the disturbing mask that has become your calling card," writes Bethesda. "In a time of uncertainty, when the city is being besieged by plague and ruled by an oppressive government armed with strange technologies, dark forces conspire to bestow upon you abilities beyond those of any common man."

The pair were accompanied by Victor Antonov, art director on Half-Life 2, who reprises this crucial role for Dishonored. The heavyweight trio represent Arkane Studios; yet another collection of talent absorbed into the ever-increasing waistline of Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media.

Dishonored puts the player in the shoes of Corvo, a warrior charged with guarding the Empress of an industrial world occupying four islands in a vast ocean. In a coup, the Empress is murdered and Corvo is framed for her death. Imprisoned, and a victim of political machinations, Corvo plots his escape and eventual revenge.